Moving fruit tree

Is it possible to move a crab apple that has been in s

 

What's it been in John?

 

s

 

Don't tempt me clue ... just ... don't go there

 

Sorry for the delay. I have been unable to log in for 2 days.
I did not realise that my request had not been displayed in full; no idea what happened there.
Anyhow, this is it:-
This crab apple has been in situ for a number of years, it's about 8ft and bears masses of fruit.
I should hate to lose it, but I really need to move it. I would appreciate any advice.

 

I think it should be ok to move it, but, there are buts.

About now is the ideal time, in general, to move trees and shrubs, as they do better if they are dormant when moved. No matter how careful you are, you will inevitably cause extensive damage to the root system. It will take time for the tree to recover from that after the move, and doing it while it is not actively trying to grow topside will take a lot of the burden off the injured roots, giving them chance to heal and regrow.

When you move it, try to take as much of the root ball as possible, but be careful. If you try to go for too much root in one go, most likely it will fall apart when you lift it, causing lots of damage, so go for as much as you can but no more than you can manage without it breaking up as you lift it.

Have the hole that it is to go into ready. The hole should be wider and deeper than you expect to need, as things never quite fit as you expect (unless you're someone annoyingly successful like Alan Titchmarsh or Monty Don). Line the hole with a bit of well rotted farmyard manure or similar, to provide a nice easy and nutrient rich medium for the delicate new roots to get into while the tree is re-establishing itself.

The roots should be out of the ground for the shortest time possible. The proper advice is to water the tree well before the move, but I wouldn't for two reasons. 1) At this time of year it wont drink much of it and 2) if you make the soil around the roots too soft, it is more likely to fall apart, ripping great chunks of roots off as it does. Definitely water well once replanted though.

Also, stake the tree in its new position. Try not to drive the stake through the roots, instead come in at a steep angle. The tree will be required to endure the winter gales with only a fraction of its roots, and practically nothing anchoring it. If it sways about in the wind, the new roots are going to seriously struggle to take, so anchor it good.

And before you do any of this, probably best way for others to have a say. My knowledge in these matters is very generic. Some trees and shrubs have procedures that differ from the standard practice for various reasons.

 

Hi John

should be ok to move middle of November all the leaves should be dropping off by then and a should be a bit cooler are you moving to a different part of the garden ?

I would try and root ball it to move, so basically measure out from the trunk 24 inches 60.96cm cm and dig a circular trench around and dig out any large roots use a saw to cut through dont try and cut with the spade as you want a clean a cut as possible dig out the trench about 18 inches 45.72cm deep, this is when you need two people and require a heavy duty plastic sheet , where you have dug the trench use the spade to undercut and as you go slide in the plastic sheet do this all the way around until you can pull the plastic sheet all the way around and then tie the plastic around the trunk to keep the root ball intact and from falling apart , get the new planting hole ready and the correct depth and slide the tree in to place when you are happy with the depth slide the plastic out fill in any gaps with fresh compost and stake and tie the tree and give a good water to settle in the new soil.

Spruce

 

I have only one more comment to make: WATER! Not just when you have replanted it, but regularly throughout the first year.
Ok, so now I have a second comment to make ( oops! Typical woman ). No farm yard manure? Blood, fish and bonemeal the new hole (it's a slow release fertiliser).

And 3) it makes the soil heavier and therefore more back breaking! Besides, it hasn't exactly been drought conditions recently

 

Thankyou for all your advice, I shall give it a go and try in November.
Thanks again.